National Hero of Antigua & Barbuda, Sir Viv Richards, has given his blessings for the staging of the Island Cup Open (ISCO), a franchise football tournament set to start in the summer of 2021 in Antigua & Barbuda and nine other franchises across the region, Central and South America, including Brazil.
The private franchises are owned by investors branded under the respective countries. Sir Viv, who has played World Cup Football for Antigua and Barbuda, has thrown his full support behind this project as Brand Ambassador for ISCO. He fully endorses the initiative by Caribbean Football Trust Limited (CTFL).
In this Tournament, the best available players from both eras will be able to ply their trade in one integrated Arena.
Sol Campbell, Carlos Valderamma and Marco Simone are among some of the names that have endorsed the tournament and are expected to be involved.
The star-studded lineup includes the likes of Barcelona and Ivory Coast midfielder Yaya Touré and Cameroonian Football sensation Samuel Eto’o.
Some of the coaches include England’s former International Campbell, Andy Cole, along with former England’s Head Coach Sven Groen Erikson.
The Ten (10) Franchises:
Brazil Samba Warriors FC Combined Islands AS Guyana Oilers FC AS Espanola Manics French Connection FC SC Colombia Tapirs Jamaica Ruffnecks TNT Soca Rivals FC Barbados Challengers Suriname Gladiators
Trinidadian native Chris Anderson, who is chief financial officer and chairman of Caribbean Football Trust Limited (CFTL) and owner of ISCO said, “Currently the tentative start date for the championship is late next summer. He said, “Beyond 2021 we will be looking at a May through August schedule, but for 2021 we will look and see how the COVID new protocols standards are and we will go from there,”
There are 21 Professional Soccer Leagues around the world. The League in the United States is Major League Soccer (MLS) and it is ranked seventh in popularity among the world’s leagues. Islands Cup Open will give players in the Caribbean region an opportunity to be part of a Brand with its own Identity.
